Bottle Rocket waves as the boat floats back into the river. "Good luck then! Things will be grim, but don't disrepair! Your part to play is done and you have done as anypony could have hoped!"

The borderlands fade away and you seem to drift into space.

* * *

You awaken in hospitable bed. You feel weak and to your alarm you can't feel you back legs. Looking down you see that your body is wrapped in bandages.

From your left you hear a cry of joy and you turn you head to see Dashing Orange, looking raged and worn, but happy to see you. "My dear boy, your alive!" He moves as if to hug you, but then changes his mind and just pats on of your hooves. "It was touch and go there for some time, but your out of the woods now!" His exasperation fades slightly as he looks at your bandaged body. "How are you feeling? The doctors said that you may have lost the use of you legs, but that there was attest some hope for your for legs."

{At this time you are more or less mobilize, but you are also in no danger. You can take this time to ask anything of Dashing Orange and if you like you can also ask him to get any of the other main characters (with the obvious exceptions of Discord, Celestia, Shinning Armor, Candace or any character who has died) who you can then talk to. There will be a brief bit after you get out of the hospitable, but think of this as a chance for you to ask any questions you have of any of the good guy characters. Once you are satisfied just say the word and we will fast forwarded to your relies.}

"Orange?" Zack said looking around to see the room is utterly bland till his eyes shoot wide remembering just before he slipped away "what happened? Where is everypony?" clearly worried "please tell me May is ok!"

Dashing pats your hoof reassuringly. "She is just fine. As soon as your brother has gotten Princess Cadence and Shinning Armor stabilized and too proper medical care he went straight to her. The changelings did not attack your home or even that part of the city, preferring to focus on the place its self."

A nurse comes in and for a few minutes the story is put on hold as he cheeks you over. As he leaves, promising to fetch a doctor for a full examination now that you are awake Dashing continues. "Celestia was over thrown thanks to the power of the Elements and Luna. She is not well right now, but is not threat to the realm or herself anymore. The changelings managed to push back General Songbirds troops, which lead to you being a bit trampled and pushed that little way from seriously injured to critical condition." He looks a little embraced and mumbles and apology before pushing on. "Songbird held out, but his force was decimated by the changeling and they would have lost everything when the fake Nightmare Moon arrived, but Songbird and his body guards throw themselves ageist the false queen and fought her to a standstill long enough for the elements and true Princess to arrive. They banished the queen and saved the lives of the seriously wounded ponies left on the battle field, yourself and the General included. Even with that it was touch and go with you though."

At this point a doctor comes in dose a number of tests on you to make sure that you have suffered no serious long term mental or physical harm. She conforms that your lower body is partially paralyzed and that your front legs are also weekended, though functioning. Fortune your mind and magic remain largely intact.

After the doctor leaves Dashing Orange finishes by telling you that, "Luna has taken up her sisters duties. The element bares have returned home to morn the deaths of several family and friend who where lost during either the Cloudsdale attack or the invasion proper. The guards are back to there prior position as defenders of the princess, but the Regulars have been moved up to a full branch of the peace time army in reconsecration of both there role in the ending of the conflict and of the need for more protection for the nation while Celestia remains unavailable." He leans in closer and adds. "Also because nopony knows where Discord is. He disappeared after the Changelings defeat and nopony is sure if he was driven off as well or is still around."

"he's always around but" he said starting to move to stand, glaring Dashing who starts to try and hold him down, he gets to his hooves and his back legs buckle but after getting some help from Dashing but stopping him from putting him back in bed instead standing shakily "as long as there is breath in my body I won't stop, if his does become a threat I'll be there to stand against him" with that a flash of light appears and a scroll drops before him, with a glow for his horn he reads the letter aloud.

Greetings Noble Marcus

My name is Golden Marquis and I compose this note to any of my bloodline worthy enough to trigger my spell. No matter what, it is never wrong to protect those you care for and even those you don't. Cast aside the taunts of inadequacy, receiving this scroll is proof enough that not even Mr. Moon in all his dark wisdom could cast doubt on you, as you carry the name of Marcus. feel free to do with this scroll as will as there are an infinite amount awaiting the future of the Marcus line

{No problem. Zack will be crippled in this story, but there is a reason for that. Minor spoilers, but right now this story is winding down to set up for a sequel that will take place sometime down the line. Zack being taken out of the picture along with the death of Bottle Rocket, the fall of Celestia, the escape of Discord and the rise of the regulars will all play into that one. Based on the chooses you made Zack got put into a position where he would no longer be fit to work as the hero of the next story, but he can still serve as either a mentor or role model (depending if you lived or died) to the next protagonist.}

Dashing Orange helped Zack back into bed. "That's very noble of you, but unless you want to pop your stitches and weaken your only just recovering front legs you ought to rest! You don't want to lose the ability to attest walk with assistance just so you can make a heroic proclamation do you?"

The unicorn cheeks Zack's wounds and shakes his head. "There, you reopened a few of these nastier gashes. I will call the doctor back and in the mean time you say still! The princess would like a word with you and the last thing she wants is for her brave knight to get himself more hurt then he already is."

True to his word, Zack are visited first by a doctor, then by Princess Luna herself. He try to bow, to the princess, but she just pushes him back down. "After all you have done, waving a few formalities to preserving your heath is the very lest I can do now." Zack can see that Luna is slightly taller then she was before, the stars in her hair now seeming to shine just a little brighter then they had before. "I have already thanked and rewarded Twilight Sparkle, her friends and General Songbird's forces. The Children, now under Dashing Orange once aging have been brought from the shadows to serve as the new 'Royal Historical Society', to avoid the negative stigma there old name has been tarnished with. Now I feel it is time to reward you for your serves to the crown. With Shinning Armor taking up residence with Cadence in there new home away from the city, we could use a new captain of the guard. Even with your injuries there is far more to the management of the gaurd then just raw combat prowess. If there is anything else you would like though, simply name it. You have earned no less then that."

{crippled now, ok. weakened later, sure. braced hindlegs, fine. but he has to able to train his children, also I would have thought someone like Dashing would jump at the chance to study something from Dream Valley(MLP GEN 1) }

"that is a generous offer Princess but it's a position I'm not suited for if you want a tactician Zan is who your looking for, I was raised to be a warrior, Fighter, Protector." looking down at the the wounds that would keep him down till they recovered and weaken him for the rest of his life. "But I guess I could Train the next generations"

{You don't need to be able to move to train. The primary arts of fighting with a sword for a pony leaking hands would be magic. You just can't get the supper fine control with your mouth, which is part of why the show uses spears as the main weapon in Equestria. While moving is impoten, you don't learn by watching the instructor do things after a while, you learn from the instructor ordering you to move your position and place yourself in the right ways. Plus since magic dose not require the kinetic force putting your physical wight behind a slash or parry Zack is not actually in crippled, just inescapable of going after some one who did not fist come to him or did not want to play fair with his reduced mobility. Especially with his brother on hand to help Zach will not have any trouble training his kid or the guards without the use of his back legs.

Plus, you will have a swiveling well chair. On flat gowned you will be just as mobile, just not up for going adventuring.

And finally as to the Dream Valley thing, Dashing Orange's field of history is early Equestrian history, with the fall of Luna and the rise of Celestia as a sole ruler being a primary focuses.}

Luna nods. "I understated. I will have the place smiths and engineers work a devise to allow you to perform your new duties to the best of your abilities. In the mean time I still want you near by in the coming days. We will have many difficulties in the months ahead and I need ponies by my side whom I can trust to deal with them.You, Dashing Orange and General Songbird will all be instrumental in helping me on my new path." She offers a hoof. "Will you help me rebuild Equestria?"

Zack smirks "sure I'll help you, on one condition" Dashing looked as if he was about to have a heart attack because of Zack forwardness with the Princess "you have to at least try to patch thing up with you sister, you can still dream walk right?" Zack said with a smile but the princess's words are cut off by the door opening to a bright red pegasus having words with a nurse

"and I said 'I don't care if he already has visitors' we're his friends and thats that. Zack!" she rushes forward only to be stopped by Zack's hoof

"Gently Tempest, I already popped my stitches once" he said lowering his hoof and getting a gentle hug from her

"and I'm not the only one here" she motions to the door that has four figures standing there

the first was a silver and blue dragon only a few years older than Spike named Tanzanite "it is good to see you've not yet had Tiamat judge you yet"

the next was a tough built orange Earth pony with a white stetson named Martial Cherry "yea, good ta see you ain't kick the bucket yet"

Zach was there but he said nothing instead stepped aside and let a burgundy Earth pony mare with lavender and pink hair walk in and put her forelegs around Zack's neck "Zack, please don't ever scare me like that again" she said with tears in her eyes

"you might not have to worry about that any more, I think my adventuring hero days are over." Zack turns back to the princess "as you were about to say princess?"

Luna lowers her head. "I am afraid that as much as I would love nothing better then to do as you say, that is not possible at this time." Luna's voice remains resolute, but you can see tears begin to roll down her face.

"My sisters mind was damaged in someway that we cannot yet understated by the experiences of the last week. Perhaps it was the work of Discord or the changelings, that is what I have told the court and bares, but the General has offered another solution, one which I fear I agree with. He believes that the guilt of losing me the first time, then losing me aging, apparently to the same darkness as before, hurt her badly. The depths to which she then sank took there toll as well, but it was seeing her own faithful student, sided with me against her really did the damage. Even with the power of the elements to brake her from the hold of the dark thoughts that consumed her, that persevered betrayal or perhaps even just the revitalization of harm she had done to her beloved ponies was to much for her." Luna wipes away the tears and looks squarely at you. "I had one thousand years to internalize what I saw and had done. I let the evil over take me, but I was still able to reinitialize what had happened. When I was defeated it was by strangers who I had no connection to, so there attacking me and my attempts to kill them meant at the horrible moment when I came back to my senses. Celestia came to that same realization after having no time to come to terms with it and to the sight of the student she had just tired to kill breaking down sobbing at what she had been forced to do to stop the pony she cared more for then any other." She coughs. "That and the fact that I cannot enter my own sisters mind. Entering an unwilling mind is nigh on impossible with even a filly or colt. With my sister it would be like kicking down a mountain covered in dragons."

"We can only hope that time will heal her wounds for now." Luna sighs and shakes her head. "I wish it where not so, but for now I cannot a ford wait on hope while so many need help. Please accept my offer and understated that would not deny you what you ask if it where within my power to grant."

"you speak as if she wasn't banished to the moon or" Zack's eyes go wide with realization "Princess I am so sorry had I known that was not the case I wouldn't have brought it up, I will gladly stand by your side." Zack smiles looking down at the mare who refuses to let him go and hugs her tightly "who knows maybe all she needs is time and friendship"

Luna smiles sadly. "I hope you are right. I truly do. I have duties that must be attended to, but if there are any other ponies you would like me to send to you I sale send word. Other wise I will order you to be left alone to rest, with the exception of these ponies here till you are ready to come with me to begin the processes of re building."

"oh that reminds me" the dragon pulled out a scroll "my father King Bahamut III wishes to have a summit to ensure continued good relation with Equestria, with the resent power shift you understand his wish for urgency" he said with a bow to the princess afterward returning to Zack's side "I'm staying for a few days, I can get your answer anytime before I return"

Zack looks to the princess "now, I'll come to see you as soon as I am able"

Over the next month your wounds heal and you begin a regiment of physical therapy to restore some degree of strength to your front legs. A custom built rig allows you to walk under your own power, but your back legs remain paralyzed and you lake feeling in your lower body. Still, a small price to pay for all you saved.

Upon leaving care you discover that your own injury's where light when compared to other survivors of the battle. While Candace made a full recovery, Shinning Armor was wounded badly enough that though able to walk without aid, he hobbles quite badly and was forced to resign from active duty. General Songbird burred his two companions, though had to forgo formal ware as it was agreed that allowing him to where his new full helmet was better then frighting the filly's and colts by allowing them to see his burnt and partially blinded face.

Twilight Sparkle and her friends left the capitol not long after the battle and had not returned by the time you had recovered. Luna informed you that visiting them any time soon would be a mistake as there personal pain from the lose of family, blood and adopted, was still fresh and that unless absolutely needed, they where to be allowed to grave without the content reminder brought by the presence of Luna, Zack or the gaurd. Spike was found and sent home with them, as well as many ponies who had been hidden within a cloud/mist conspiracy that changeling infiltrators had worked out out Cloudsdale before the cities destruction.

Luna spent the time working out new treaties with the Dragon, Griffon and Zebra governments, though as she would latter tell her counselors behind closed doors, the treaties had been severally biased against Equestria. Celestia's name had carried allot of wight and without her, the other grate powers took the chance to flex there diplomatic mussels. No invasion would threaten the land, but at a cost.

All of this you learn not long after your relies from the hospitable. When you where released you where asked to attended a meeting of Luna's conceal, there to be joined by both Dashing Orange and Songbird.

"It is understood. The fact that you are moving under your own power aging is a comfort to me." Luna says offering a seat. "We where just discussing our plan moving ahead. As of right now we have two somewhat contradicting proposals."

Dashing Orange, now wearing a set of finely tailored cloths smiles at you and says. "I am glade you doing well, Zack. As I am sure you can understated, Equestria has gone through a disaster in the last few days that has seen more innocent lives lost in resent history. The other grate powers see us as weak and broken, less a useful ally and a valuable target. We need to show the world that Equestrian style ideals are not so easily beaten. We have re bolstered our army to a level even beyond our pre invasion force, security should not be our priority. We need to refocuses on rebuilding our nation. Rebuild Cloudsdale as a metropolises of trade and cooperation and push the idea that Equestria can recover with its soul intact! Deter attacks from abrade and at home by showing everypony that Luna is every bit the ruler her... predictor was."

Songbird waits till Orang has finished before shaking his head, causing the bronze leafed steel covering him from head to hoof to clank softly. As he speaks you can hear a new rasp to his voice, even though the muffling of his full helmet. "That's a noble idea, but this land needs more then good intentions to remain free and safe from the next invasion. We got lucky this time, but even with the changelings out of the picture there are still Dog, Dragons, Griffons and already eyeing our lands. The new treaties we signed with them made it clear that they no longer respect our ability to defend our self and if not for the fact that no one of them wants to put themselves out as a villain, they may well have just taken land from us already. They balance one another since none has any grate love for the others, but given time they may grow bold, unless we convince them otherwise. Equestria has never had a proper army. The regulars are at best a militia and the guard are too small to make a real difference in a time of war. I propose that we train and equip a proper army, strengthen border fortifications and raise the gaurd forces at dangerous location within Equestria! We should also rebuild Cloudsdale, but as a pegasus city of old! Fortified and safe. A bull work to protect our citizens in time of trouble. Ideals are not worth lives and the Princess has a chance to show that she is willing to stand by that."